Morning Word: Slipping Out of the Banana Peel Case

The Energy Department appears to be gaining support for its plan to bury 34 tons of weapons-grade nuclear waste since they can't find any customers who want it to fuel their nuclear reactors. If the recommendations are accepted the waste could end up being stored at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.

Keep it zipped

Computer gurus are hot on the trail of nine state employees who apparently used their government email addresses to register with the online dating service Ashley Madison to hook up for extramarital affairs. 

Outdoor enthusiasts and people who like hunting and fishing could get free access to state trust land at White Peak if a proposal by Aubrey Dunn, the New Mexico Public Lands commissioner, is able to persuade the Game and Fish Department to buy 10,000 acres of David Stanley's cattle ranch. If it's legal, it could be the solution to the problems with checkerboard property ownership on the mountain that people have been seeking for decades. 

Eastside scuttlebutt

Over in Clovis, people are buzzing about the possibility of a new racino being built there, but it may be premature, since the state hasn't decided on a timetable when that will happen. When it does expect lots of communities around the state to line up to compete for the license.

Dying wish

Most people don’t think about politics on their deathbed, but a woman in New Jersey has used her obituary to make a final request to friends and family: Please don’t vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. 

After sparking a feud with his longtime friends in 2008 when he endorsed the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama, it looks like former gov. Bill Richardson has had a change of heart. He's endorsing Hillary Clinton this time around. Maybe he wants to become the first ambassador to Cuba, now that diplomatic relations have been restored.

Confusion and anxiety

Attorneys for a slew of states, including New Mexico, want a judge in North Dakota to clarify what jurisdiction the Environmental Protection Agency and US Army Corps of Engineering have over state waters and before the Clean Water Act take effect this week. Meanwhile, a battle between Texas and New Mexico over water rights continues. Attorneys argued their cases in New Orleans last week. If you were expecting a federal judge to make a quick decision to toss the case, which has intensified in recent years because of a long drought, forget about it. The disagreement relates to how water south of Elephant Butte Lake is apportioned between Doña Ana County and El Paso County irrigators, as well as the use of groundwater wells in the Lower Rio Grande region that curtail the river's water supply. 

Shifting energy landscape

As the value of your 401(k) dropped with last week's stock market selloff, you may not have noticed that the price of crude oil has dropped below $40 a barrel. As crude prices continue to decline, New Mexico drivers are getting a big price break at the pump. Santa Fe residents aren't getting the results seen in other areas of the state, paying on average $2.67 a gallon. 

The price of freedom
Taos News reporter Andrew Oxford has a story about how we all might get to vote on bail reform measures being considered by a committee of lawyers, judges and legal experts, including whether judges should have the final say on whether violent criminal defendants should be denied bail altogether. 

In the spotlight

As Gov. Susana Martinez prepares to take over the chair of the Republican Governors Association in November, you'll probably hear more even buzz about her as a potential vice presidential contender. The Republican Party has considered her a rising star since she was first elected, and don't forget how being chair of the Democratic Governors Association helped Bill Richardson set up his own national campaign for president back in 2008.

Broken formula leads to bonus pay disparity

It looks like Santa Fe general education teachers who work in wealthier schools are getting bigger annual bonuses than special education teachers and instructors in poorer schools. Baby steps don't go far enough. Bill Jordan, a senior policy advisor at New Mexico Voices for Children, doesn't think New Mexico is doing enough to expand early childhood education programs and is expressing concern about decreasing enrollment in the beneficial programs. He suggests investing in kids will pay a better return than continuing to plunk big chunks of money into the state's permanent funds on Wall Street.